Month: May 2018

There are so many incredible moments in the Tonka Bean Café @ Impiana Hotel’s Ramadan buffet dinner that I can’t say for sure which my favorite one is.

The delicious D24 durian at the stall outside?

The huge sup tulang gearbox that you suck up with a straw?

Their renowned Baskin-Robbins ice cream selection? I love all those and more!

Their in-house bakery does some really magical pastries too. I may have been tempted to “take away” some of their delicious creations if I were a less scrupulous man. There’s only so much I can stuff into my stomach over the course of several hours.

I always make it a point to eat in a savory-sweet-savory format so I don’t overwhelm my tastebuds at buffets. I started out at their cold seafood section where there’s crabs, mussels, prawns and scallops on offer.

My friend Joyce told me the durians outside were ready so we headed out. I was pleasantly surprised to find out this was premium D24 durian! Impiana Hotel doesn’t just serve any durian – these babies are actually great quality D24! I was lost in the complex flavors of the D24 and I ended up eating 12 seeds. It was a bit of a mistake coz I was slightly full at this point but I have to say – WORTH IT!!!

They also have local delights like whole coconut water and sugarcane for drinks.

I also enjoy eating biryani rice and they have two huge vats with chicken and lamb biryani inside.

They also have a wide range of cooked dishes with a focus on lamb and seafood.

There’s a huge fish head.

Crab!

A whole roast.

Fried chicken.

There’s also live entertainment playing, which is great for long dining sessions like this. As a bit of an introvert, you don’t want your awkward conversation or piped muzak to be your only companion. Hehe.

I also managed to help myself to some delicious salmon to end things.

They have ulam too so you can break up all those rich flavors with some palate cleansers.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and stuffed myself so hard I feared some of my shirt buttons might pop off. It was worth the 2 hours I took to drive here from Shah Alam during rush hour.

Sinar Ramadan Al-Mubarak is a month long dinner buffet at Tonka Bean Cafe @ Impiana KLCC Hotel. It’s RM 148 nett per person from 16th May to 14th June 2018. Children rates are RM 74 nett from 4-12 years old. Kids below 4 eat for free. Dinner starts at 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm daily. There’s an Early Bird promotion where you can buy 10 get 1 free until 15th May 2018.

I was intrigued when I got an invitation to a Ramadan buffet preview at Sama Sama Hotel in KLIA. It’s actually not very far for me since I live in USJ. Driving to KLIA is closer for me than going to KL city center. Plus, I hear durian is also served in this buffet! I don’t need another reason to go.

The Ramadan buffet is setup in themed islands instead of a row of dishes as is the norm in other buffets. There’s a Malaysian food island, an Indonesian food one, another dedicated to ice cream and cendol etc.

This breaks up the line of people queuing into more manageable columns but popular stations like the durian, satay and drinks islands still has a formidable line.

They also have indoors seating…

…as well as outdoors. The atas word for this is porte-cochere. Or so I read.

I particularly enjoyed the food from this buffet as I’m a huge fan of regional flavours. I had two heaping plates of food! You may be surprised to hear that I liked the different styles of cooked chicken from this region with rice the most.

I also had the grilled lamb with mint sauce but I found myself going back to the comforting familiar flavors more.

I also took advantage of the durian stall located outside the hall. I must have queued up three times to stuff myself with creamy durian.

I ate so much durian I was hard pressed to try all the other desserts.

I did have several helpings of ice kacang though. They also have various local flavored ice cream which I found delicious! They even have traditional iced lollies in a tube! Nostalgic.

They have different types of dates for you to break your fast too.

Live band playing melodic classics. This is perfect at a Ramadan buffet where people wait to break fast and tend to sit longer. Entertainment is always good.

There’s also a variety of local drinks from freshly squeezed sugarcane to asam boi.

I loved the apam balik station too.

Yum!

These awesome photos are taken by Joyce. I don’t have the kind of creative eye to pull off shots like this.

Sama-Sama Hotel KL International Airport is running this Selera Warisan Nusantara (Malay Archipelago Cuisine) themed Ramadan buffet throughout the puasa month from 6 pm – 10 pm. It’s RM 135 nett per person on weekdays and RM 99 nett per person on weekends. I’m not sure why it’s cheaper on weekends but I know when I’ll go! You can also get a RM 95 nett per person early bird price if you book before 7th May 2018.